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Police investigating disappearance of teen

North County Times
February 14, 2009

ESCONDIDO ---- Police are investigating the disappearance of a 14-year-old Escondido High School student.

Amber LeeAnne Dubois was last seen at 7:10 a.m. Friday walking toward the school, Sgt. Craig Miller said Saturday night.

Her parents reported her missing Friday afternoon. Miller added that the parents said Dubois has never run away and that for her to do so would be "completely out of character."

Dubois is described as 5 feet 3 inches tall, 140 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes, Miller said. She was wearing dark clothing when last seen.

Police have contacted the girl's friends and associates. They believe she is in the Escondido area.

Anyone with information about Dubois is asked to contact the Escondido police at (760) 839-4722.

On the Web:

www.amberleeannedubois.com

[Admin]

Search Continues For Missing Escondido High Student

10 News
February 16, 2009

ESCONDIDO, Calif. -- Police and family members Friday continued the search for a 14-year-old girl last seen Friday morning.

Officials are now investigating reports that Amber LeeAnn Dubois was seen in downtown Escondido on Saturday evening, said Escondido police Lt. Robert Benton.

Witnesses reported possibly seeing Amber near Palomar Memorial Hospital with two other teens, Benton said.


Amber's family reported her missing on Friday after she was last seen walking to Escondido High School at 7:10 a.m. wearing black pants, a black hoodie and black sneakers, officials said.

On Saturday night, Escondido police sent out "reverse 911" calls to homes within a 5-mile radius of a cellular telephone tower in northern Escondido that last picked up a signal from Amber's cell phone, police said.

Her family said that Amber has never run away and that it would be "completely out of character" for her.

Amber's family started a Web site that contains images of her and information about her.

On the day she disappeared, family members said Amber was excited about getting a lamb as a school project at Escondido High School. Her family said she is a good student and an excellent horsewoman.

Amber is about 5 feet 3 inches tall and 130 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.

Investigators are asking anyone with any information about Amber's whereabouts to call Escondido Police at 760-839-4722, or their anonymous tip line at 760-743-8477.

[Admin]

Police to search north Escondido area for teen

North County Times
February 17, 2009

ESCONDIDO ---- Following a tip from an Escondido High School student, police searched the north Escondido area Tuesday evening in an attempt to track down a missing teen.

A student at the school said they saw Amber Leanne Dubois, 14, Sunday evening on Lehner Avenue near Rincon Middle School, Escondido police Lt. Bob Benton said.

It's a "strong lead at this point," Benton said, adding that officers were searching door-to-door in the area.

Dubois was last seen at 7:10 a.m. Friday walking toward school on North Broadway, police said.

A sergeant said Monday that police had not been able to confirm a report the girl had been seen walking near Palomar Medical Center with two other teens Saturday.

Police took their search for a missing teen to Escondido High School on Tuesday, where they interviewed students returning to class after a three-day weekend, officials said.

The teenager's family has set up a Web site, www.amberleeannedubois.com, with more information and pictures of Amber. Her parents have told police that running away would be completely out of character for her.

Anyone with information about Amber's whereabouts is asked to call the Police Department at (760) 839-4722.

[Admin]

Search continues for missing Escondido girl
Friend claims she saw 14-year-old Amber Dubois walking Sunday night

J Harry Jones
San Diego Union-Tribune
February 18, 2009

ESCONDIDO – Police and members of the Sheriff's Department Search and Rescue team continued looking for a missing teenager Wednesday in a northern Escondido neighborhood near where she may have been seen Sunday night.

Amber Dubois, 14, an Escondido High School student, was reported missing Friday night by her family. She had been seen that morning walking to school on Broadway, but never made it to classes.

Tuesday morning a student who knows Amber realized the teen was missing and told police she is certain she saw Amber Sunday night with someone else walking near the intersection of Rincon Avenue and Conway Drive, Escondido Police Lt. Bob Benton said.

Since then authorities have been going door-to-door in the semi-rural neighborhood passing out fliers and searching in outbuildings and secluded areas, so far without result.

“Everything we're doing is based on speculation and conjecture,” Sheriff's Search and Rescue Coordinator Don Parker said Wednesday at the command post at Conway Drive and Cleveland Avenue.

“We're just covering all the bases,” said Escondido Police Sgt. Domingo Lafon.

Amber's parents say she was looking forward to school on Friday and has never run away. Her disappearance is out of character and they are convinced something has happened to her.

“Until we have Amber back, in my mind she's still been abducted because there is absolutely no way in the world she would leave without calling,” said her father, Maurice Dubois.

He said the girl who reported seeing his daughter doesn't know her well and he fears it may not be a legitimate lead.”

Fliers about Amber's disappearance have been posted in store windows, on lamp posts and street signals all over the city.

A Web site has been created – amberleeannedubois.com – that has pictures and contact information. She is described as 5-foot-5, 130 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes and was last seen wearing dark clothing.

“She has been described by her family as naive to what's going on in the world,” Benton said. “We won't know the circumstances of her disappearance until we find her or find someone who has spoken to her.”

[Admin]

Many resources used in search for teen
Similar search last May located girl

Chris Nichols
North County Times
February 18, 2009

ESCONDIDO ---- Despite the work of dozens of police officers and volunteers and the hundreds of fliers posted from Valley Center to Oceanside, there's been no sign of 14-year-old Amber Leeanne Dubois since Friday.

The brown haired, blue eyed girl doesn't fit the runaway profile, her family has said. She's been described as a bookish, sheltered girl who loves animals and has never talked about bolting from home.

Police say they have used every resource possible to find her, calling the search the biggest for a missing teen in recent memory.

Escondido police Lt. Bob Benton said between 20 and 25 investigators and community service officers have worked on the search, describing them as "almost our entire investigations division, as well as any additional staff."

Dozens more volunteers from the Sheriff's Department's search and rescue team helped scour the rural north Escondido area Tuesday and Wednesday, going door-to-door on several streets.

On Wednesday afternoon they were aided by a sheriff's helicopter. That helped give the team's leader a better lay of the land, said sheriff's Deputy Darryl Kimball, one of the department's helicopter pilots.

Those searches followed a tip from one of Amber's classmates at Escondido High School, who reported possibly seeing her near Rincon Middle School on Sunday.

Benton said Amber's father and mother, who are separated, along with the mother's boyfriend, all voluntarily took and passed polygraph tests. They have been ruled out as suspects, he said.

Amber's last known location was at 7:10 a.m. Friday, walking south on North Broadway toward Escondido High, Benton said. On the Web site her family set up, www.amberleeannedubois.com, the teen is described as 5 feet 5 inches tall, 130 pounds with short to medium-length brown hair and bright blue eyes.

Officers have interviewed numerous friends and classmates and watched hours of surveillance tape to try to find clues about the teen's disappearance.

Escondido police launched a similar but shorter search last year after another girl disappeared.

Benton said 11-year-old Alani Vera was found two days after she went missing, when her father was arrested in Mexico in connection with her disappearance.

Benton said the Dubois case is different from those of most runaways. All of Amber's family and friends interviewed have said running away would be "out of character" for the girl, he said. They've told police she's never run away or even talked about it.

"She's not the typical rebellious teen," Benton said.

The lieutenant said records show police had not responded to the Dubois home, in north Escondido, for any reason since October. He said he did not immediately have access to records of any visits before that month.

Amber's parents live apart. The father lives in the Los Angeles area and has taken part in the search. Neither the mother nor father could be reached Wednesday.

Dave Cave, the boyfriend of Amber's mother, said Escondido police have "given their 100 percent" in the search.

He said the family's message for the teen is that "we love you, we miss you and we want you to come home."

Benton said police have not ruled out the possibility that Amber voluntarily left home, but added that there's little evidence to show she did.

Whether she ran away or not shouldn't change how authorities search, said Lisa Prazeau, whose 16-year-old son attends high school with the girl.

"If they have the resources to use, then use them," said Prazeau, who lives near the rural north Escondido area searched Wednesday. "They need to use every thing they can. Time is of the essence."

Anyone with information about the case should call Escondido police at (760) 839-4722.

[Admin]

Candlelight Vigil Held For Missing Girl
Family Hires Investigator To Help Find Missing Teen

10 News
February 19, 2009

ESCONDIDO, Calif. -- A candlelight vigil was held Friday for a missing 14-year-old girl whose family has hired a private detective to search for her. The candlelight vigil was held Friday evening in front of Escondido High School.

Amber Leeanne Dubois was last seen on the morning of Friday, Feb. 13, walking to Escondido High School where she is a student.

Since then, police have interviewed witnesses who say they have seen the teen in the Escondido area.

According to 10News reporter Juliette Vara, the Dubois family has hired a private investigator to help locate Amber.

10News has confirmed that the FBI is involved in the case, but did not offer any specific details. They said they are actively working on the case.

A classmate of Amber's told police that she saw the missing girl on Sunday night with walking with someone near the intersection of Rincon Avenue and Conway Drive, Escondido Police Lt. Bob Benton told The San Diego Union-Tribune.

The student said that she was unaware at the time that Amber was missing. She came forward with the information on Tuesday morning.

Police also said they interviewed witnesses who saw Amber on Saturday night walking with two teens near Palomar Memorial Hospital in downtown Escondido.

According to officials, a cell phone tower in Escondido picked up a signal from Amber's cell phone on Saturday. That prompted them to blast a Reverse 911 phone call with information about the missing girl to households within a five mile radius of that cell phone tower.

On Monday, the Sheriff's search and rescue team started going door-to-door handing out fliers and asking people if they knew anything about Amber's disappearance.

"Everything we're doing is based on speculation and conjecture," Search and Rescue Coordinator Don Parker told the Union-Tribune.

Amber's father, Maurice Dubois, who lives in Orange County and has custody of her on the weekends, said the family is convinced she was abducted, the newspaper reported.

Amber's family said she has never run away and that it would be "completely out of character."

The family created a Web site - www.amberleeannedubois.com - with the girl's pictures and contact information.

Amber's family said she is a good student and an animal lover.

"She has been described by her family as naive to what's going on in the world," Benton told the Union-Tribune.

Amber is 5 feet 5 inches tall and 130 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing dark clothing.

[Admin]

Family of missing teen clings to hope
No new leads in case

Chris Nichols
North County Times
February 19, 2009

ESCONDIDO ---- The family of a bookish 14-year-old girl missing for six days believes she was abducted by a stranger and said it has hired a private investigator to bolster its search.

Maurice Dubois, standing next to private investigator Bill Garcia, held a press conference Thursday to ask for more public help in finding his daughter, Amber Leeanne Dubois.

The Escondido High School freshman was last seen Feb. 13 walking to school on North Broadway, family and police have said. A neighbor spotted her about 7:10 a.m. walking south near the school's football stadium.

A spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Investigations confirmed Thursday the agency has offered help in the case.

Still, there have been no new leads for several days, police and family have said. That has led the family and Garcia to believe Amber was taken.

Dubois said Thursday he is clinging to community support and hope.

Hope is "everything" for the family, Dubois added, wearing jeans, sneakers and a worried look on his face.

"I don't want anyone to lose focus," the father added. "We need support from the community and friends."

The press conference was held in front of the blue-trimmed, two-story home on Red Mountain Place where Amber lived with her mother, Carrie McGonigle, who did not come outside the home. The quiet court includes tidy, well-landscaped suburban homes on the northeast edge of Escondido's city limits.

Police have described the search for Amber as the city's largest for a missing teen in recent memory. Police and family members said Amber does not fit the profile of a runaway, describing her as a good student, an animal lover and sheltered.

Her father and mother are separated. Maurice Dubois, who lives in Orange County, has participated in the search since the start, he said.

Amber's father and mother, along with the mother's boyfriend, all voluntarily took and passed polygraph tests, Escondido police Lt. Bob Benton said earlier this week. They have been ruled out as suspects, he said.

Benton could not be reached for comment Thursday.

An FBI spokeswoman declined to specify what kind of help it has offered.

"We have offered our assistance to the Escondido Police Department, but it remains their case until it is a confirmed kidnapping," said April Langwell, a spokeswoman for the San Diego FBI.

Garcia, the private investigator who said he has 17 years' experience, said computers from both the mother's and father's homes are being searched by authorities for any electronic clue the teen may have left.

He and Amber's father said the girl sent several text messages to her grandmother and one to a friend before going to school Feb. 13. They said the messages did not provide information about her whereabouts or seem suspicious.

The girl's cell phone was shut off shortly after the messages were sent, Garcia added, noting police relayed information about the phone to the family. The phone was turned back on once on Saturday afternoon when someone tried unsuccessfully to access the phone's voicemail and then shut off again shortly after, they said, adding no further readings from the phone have been retrieved.

Garcia said the phone was not on long enough for authorities to determine specifically where it was. Escondido police were not available to comment on the matter.

The investigator, his blue jeans and boots spotted with dirt, said he's continued to search several rural areas near Amber's home. He said he may organize a team of community volunteers to continue searching in coming days.

In the meantime, he urged residents in the north Escondido area to search their properties and report anything that's out of the ordinary to police.

Police and Sheriff's Department search and rescue volunteers scoured several areas near Rincon Middle School after getting a tip Amber may have been in the area.

Over the past week, Amber's father said, he's wrestled with a range of emotions from frustration to despair. While he praised local police for their help, he said the search must now go beyond city limits.

"It's been six days ... she could be anywhere in the country," he said.

Amber's family set up the following Web site: www.amberleeannedubois.com. It describes the teen as 5 feet 5 inches tall, 130 pounds with short to medium-length brown hair and bright blue eyes.

The family plans a candlelight vigil from 6 to 7 p.m. Friday in front of Escondido High.

Anyone with information about the case should call Escondido police at (760) 839-4722

[Admin]

Family of missing teen holds candlelight vigil

Chris Nichols
North County Times
February 21, 2009

ESCONDIDO ---- Family, friends and neighbors united Friday to hold a candlelight vigil for missing teen Amber Dubois one week after the 14-year-old girl disappeared on her way to school.

The Escondido High School freshman was last seen Feb. 13 walking to school on North Broadway, family and police have said. A neighbor spotted her about 7:10 a.m. walking south near the school's football stadium.

Despite an aggressive police and community search, there have been no leads in the case for several days. Family members fear Amber was abducted by a stranger. They and police have said Amber, with her love for school and positive disposition, does not fit the profile of a runaway.

Friday night's vigil was held outside Escondido High. Many of the approximately 200 people wore T-shirts with Amber's name and picture on them. Some, clutching candles and loved ones, spoke of hope. Others expressed fear and despair over the teen's disappearance.

"You hold onto your kids a little harder," said Anita Warren, her 9-year-old daughter, Alana, at her side. The Warrens live about 10 houses from Amber's family in north Escondido, they said.

"I'm just hoping she could be anywhere," added Larry Spoo, who lives near Amber's family, "somewhere she can break free and call for help."

Speaking just after 9 p.m., Escondido police Sgt. Craig Miller said there was no new information about the case.

Amber's family has praised the police for their work, which included door-to-door searches of north Escondido earlier this week. To bolster their search, however, the family has hired San Diego private investigator Bill Garcia.

Garcia, along with community volunteers, plans additional searches of north Escondido this weekend.

They hope to find the girl classmates described Friday as having a zeal for life, and being a committed friend.

"She can always make me smile," said Jennifer Morris, a freshman at the high school, who said she's known Amber a couple of years.

"Amber's not the type of person not to go to school," said Taylor Doyle, 15, who said she's known Amber all her life.

At the vigil, Amber's mother and father thanked the community for their support. They noted that local businesses and residents have had donations including donuts and coffee and the printing of thousands of fliers with Amber's name and picture on them.

"All these candles," said Maurice Dubois, the teen's father, "Hopefully they're going to light Amber's way home."

[Admin]

Teen vanishes on way to school

Emanuella Grinberg
CNN
February 22, 2009

(CNN) -- Last Friday the 13th was supposed to be a special day for 14-year-old Amber Leeanne DuBois.

She left her home in Escondido, California, around 7 a.m. for school with a check in hand, a down payment on a baby lamb that she was going to raise and care for as part of her Future Farmers of America class.

It was a day that she'd been looking forward to for more than a year, her family says. But she never made it to school and hasn't been heard from since, prompting authorities to launch a massive search for the missing teen.

"She would not have given up that lamb for anything," her mother, Carrie McGonigle, said. "She's a wholesome kid. She doesn't run amok like most teenagers. She did not run away, I guarantee it."

Her cell phone was turned on once for about 20 seconds the day after she disappeared and has not been turned on since then, Escondido Police spokesman Lt. Bob Benton said.

Her mother and her live-in boyfriend voluntarily submitted to polygraph tests and passed, Benton said. Amber's father, who lives in Orange County, California, and other relatives have been interviewed, he added.

A classmate reported seeing Amber a week ago on Sunday, walking with an unidentified person about half a mile from her home, Benton said.

"We don't know the circumstances of her disappearance or the person she was walking with, but being 14 years old and missing as long as she has without ever having gone missing before is very suspicious," Benton said.

The FBI is assisting the Escondido Police in the investigation, said Special Agent Darrell Foxworth from the agency's San Diego office.

"The assistance that we are providing includes conducting interviews and following up on leads as they develop," Foxworth said.

Amber's parents insist she would never stay away from home for so long without notifying them, leading them to believe she was abducted.

"As a person who knows my daughter very, very well, I'm 95 percent positive she's not just wandering around the area," said her father, Maurice DuBois. "If she was abducted by stranger -- hopefully not -- she could be anywhere in the U.S, Mexico by now. Eight days is a long time to be missing."

Amber's parents say she was a not-so-typical teen who shunned social networking sites like MySpace.com and Facebook and preferred reading, drawing and spending time with friends at home over hanging out at the mall.

"When she'd get in trouble, I'd have to take her books away," McGonigle said, chuckling as she recalled her daughter's habit of hiding under her bed sheets with a flashlight so she could read late at night.

Her first passion was animals, a lifelong devotion that began with her first horse, Rojo, and led to her joining the FFA when she entered high school.

Two weeks before she disappeared, she wrote her mother a letter urging her to let her buy the lamb she planned to name Nannette, outlining how she would care for it and suggesting it would look good on her resume, McGonigle said.

"I know in my heart that there's nothing that would take her away from that lamb. She would never miss that day. That's how I know she didn't just run away," McGonigle said.

"I go to sleep thinking she's going to be walking in my room any minute saying, 'Mom, I'm back.' But now it's just becoming a numb feeling."

Members of the community of Escondido, a bedroom community of San Diego, have been generous with donations of money, resources and manpower in the efforts to locate Amber, her mother said.

A candlelight vigil at Escondido High School on Friday night drew about 200 people, Amber's friend Hailey Kosinski said, in a show of support that brought a measure of comfort to her family and friends.

Hailey, who has known Amber since the sixth grade, said she could always count on her to brighten her day when she was feeling down.

"She smiles and tells you everything's going to be OK and you just feel better," she said. "She's sort of shy when you first meet her, but once you get to know her, she's the kindest person you'll ever meet."

The 14-year-old described her friend's disappearance as a rude awakening to the dangers of ordinary life.

"It makes you think of the many, many situations that could occur when you're walking on the street, or when you walk away from friends for just a little while," said Hailey, who has spent most of her free time in the past week posting fliers on traffic poles and in stores.

"It's the most horrible, gut-wrenching feeling to know your friend is out there and there's nothing you can do to help her. You feel so powerless."

[Admin]

Hundreds Search Rugged Terrain for Missing California Girl

Fox News
February 22, 2009

The family of a missing 14-year old California girl launched an all-out search Sunday morning that extended into the local mountains.

Hundreds of volunteers combed through rugged terrain in search for Amber LeeAnne DuBois, television news station San Diego 6 reported. DuBois was reportedly last seen shortly after 7 a.m. on Feb. 13 while walking to her high school in Escondido, Calif.

The FBI is “providing investigative assistance” to Escondido police, an agency spokesman told the San Diego Union Tribune on Saturday.

Investigators said Amber — who was last seen wearing black clothing and a backpack — talked to a friend on her cell phone as she walked to class that morning. She has not been seen or heard from since, police said.

The teen's father, Maurice DuBois, said reports of a possible sighting of his daughter Saturday were considered unreliable. He said Amber is very structured, and not the type of girl to run away.

The family is hoping that the Tour of California bicycle race — which is expected to draw thousands of spectators to Escondido on Sunday — will heighten public awareness and help in finding Amber.

Local media outlets reported Friday that there may have been an attempted abduction in the same area where Amber was last seen.

The family's private investigator Bill Garcia told San Diego 6 that a woman was almost abducted by a man driving a white utility vehicle in Escondido two weeks before Amber was reported missing — though police have not yet determined a credible link between that case and Amber's disappearance.

Meanwhile, family members have set up a Web site with pictures and contact information for the missing girl, and are pushing for the search to go nationwide.

[Admin]

Teen's Father: "I Can't Look for a Body, I Can't"

NBC San Diego
February 22, 2009

An estimated 300 volunteers showed up to help in the search for a missing Escondido girl Saturday, private investigator Bill Garcia said. The 14-year-old went missing on Friday February 13. She was last seen walking to Escondido High School.

Volunteers signed in, teams were formed, and areas to be searched divided among them.

“Take plenty of fliers,” Garcia told the volunteers. “I believe we still have a lot. Share them with residents you run into.”

These volunteers don't know Amber, but said they had to do something to help.

“I have three daughters myself, and I can't imagine what those parents are going through. I would want the same,” Mary Schmit said

“It's right in our own backyard. Just knowing something could happen to anybody, anytime,” Raquel Suitts said.

Amber's father told us how much he appreciates the support.

“It's touching, it really is, when you see a community come out,” Maurice Dubois said.

He explained why he could not take part in this particular effort to find his daughter, not wanting his worst fears realized.

“As far as me doing the search, I don't think I could, just because of the fact that I can't look for a body, I can't,” he said.

Searchers said they understood, and want him to know they will do all they can to bring his daughter back home.

“It would just be so scary,” Schmit said.

“We're all keeping our eyes open, anywhere we go, we're all there right with him,” said Suitts.

Areas being searched include:

- El Norte Parkway
- Interstate-15 east to Lake Wohlford
- North to Palomar Mountain
- West along state Route 76 to Riverside County

The mother of Brittany Hart is also showing her support to the family.

"I just want to give the parents my moral support because I know what they're going through," said Karen Hart.

Her 24-year-old daughter Brittany went missing in 2007. Brittany was murdered and her body was found in a rural area of East County. The man accused of killing her is heading to trial for the murder.

Meantime, more than 200 people came out in support of the family Friday evening. People held candles outside the school in hopes Amber would be brought safely home.

"Basically, it kind of hits home because I know how I'd feel if I'd lost a child," said Escondido resident Amy Clark.

"It's not just the county, the word is spreading across the country and everyone is praying for her and her family," said family friend Joe Peters.

Amber's parents are grateful for the large turnout and support they've gotten since Amber disappeared.

"A lot of people loved Amber and they still do, they want her home," said her mother Carrie McGonigle. Carrie says she last saw her daughter before she headed to school. "Someone has her, she's not just hiding from me or hiding from the house, someone has her".

The possibility of abduction scares everyone, especially parents.

"My mom doesn't even let me walk around the streets anymore, she's afraid it'll happen to me," said Amber's friend Taylor Doyle.

Amber's father believes his daughter is still alive and he vows to never stop searching for her.

"I sleep an hour or two a night, and last night I don't even know if I got that," said Maurice Dubois.

If, by chance, Amber did runaway, Carrie McGonigle has this message for her daughter.

"Just come home, you won't be in trouble, just come home," McGonigle said.

The family is offering a $500 dollar reward for any information about her whereabouts. Her father says the reward money will go up as more donations come in.